The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands highlights the success of programmes under the Dutch National Action Plan (NAP) III on Women, Peace and Security (WPS) during 2016-2020.

The meta-evaluation brings special attention to HealthNet TPO’s activities in South Sudan and Colombia under the Women and Girls for Change (WG4C) and Women as Central Agents of Peacebuilding projects respectively. These projects were shown to foster trust and resilience in communities and contribute to an enabling environment for women’s participation and empowerment in conflict and post-conflict settings.

HealthNet TPO’s unique approach to the WPS agenda focuses on mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS), and the important nexus of mental health, gender and peacebuilding. We strive to support the healing process in post-conflict societies to enable sustainable peace, and women play an essential role in this. By supporting women and strengthening existing capacities, systems and trust, we ensure that people have the necessary tools to care for themselves and those around them, providing the opportunity to be active in peacebuilding processes.

Working as part of consortium with international NGOs Plan International, PAX, STAD and local NGOs AMA and EWO, the evaluation found success in the programme strengthening resilience in communities and supporting the functioning of GBV referral mechanisms.

HealthNet TPO’s activities included training community-based psychosocial focal points (PFPs) to become first responders and referral points for individuals and families experiencing mental health and/or GBV issue. The PFPs not only improved access of women and girls to psychosocial and legal support, but they contributed to developing trust within communities, and throughout the referral pathway. The establishment of trust also strengthened referrals toward the police and local (ABC) courts, which was shown to increase GBV case referrals and how cases were dealt with.

When a 15 year old girl in Nimule reported to a PFP her parents plan to marry her to an older man, the PFP provided psychosocial support to support the girls distress and connected with legal counsel to help end the arranged marriage.

“I feel great that I could help someone whose fate was already decided by other people. The [PFP] training helped a lot, especially in understanding the situation at hand and identifying what this little girl might be going through” said the PFP after sharing her story.

HealthNet TPO’s MHPSS approach is specifically outlined as a new and positive outcome of the WPS agenda. Whilst working towards reducing harmful gender norms within communities, we also contributed to changing community attitudes towards mental health and reducing mental health stigma.

However, key challenges were identified in the WG4C project, including ensuring the safety of all staff and participants when addressing sensitive themes. Issues were raised with PFP self-care and renumeration for the role. We timely adapted to this by introducing a self-care module in the training and arranging renumeration where possible. Self-care for PFPs and other mental health care givers has become a focal point for the WPS Leaders of Peace programme 2020-2025.

HealthNet TPO similarly worked as part of consortium with ICCO Cooperation, Mensen met een Missie, and ten Colombian organisations. Together with our implementing partner LIMPAL Colombia, our aim was to enhance the protection of women and girls, decrease harmful gender norms and promote equal leverage in (local) decision making for conflict prevention and resolution.

The programme was found to increase women’s participation in decision-making spaces. This was mostly done through building the capacity of women, local initiatives and women’s groups. It included raising awareness on women’s rights, gender norms and building capacity for advocacy and lobbying activities.

HealthNet TPO’s MHPSS activities showed success in strengthening self-confidence of women on their capabilities to impact their communities. Many became important actors in community, political and institutional spaces for peacebuilding processes.

We were mindful that the incorporation of women in activities and in processes for peace included all women. We engaged with the differential needs and possibilities for agency of women from different ethnic, socio-economic and regional backgrounds including indigenous women.

After joining the programme, Sonia found support through psychosocial counselling and connecting with other women to collective heal from the trauma of intimate partner abuse. “Since joining the programme I have changed. I started to meet more people and I began to understand my problems and find a solution. The programme taught me to be resilient, to forgive the people who had hurt me and to let go. No I fight for women’s rights, for justice and to give other women the courage to escape abusive relationships.”

In both Colombia and South Sudan, HealthNet TPO has new projects under the NAP IV agenda as part of new consortia of international and national NGOs. With the Leaders of Peace project in South Sudan and the Women Advocate for Peace project in Colombia, we re-emphasise the positive contribution of women and youth to a sustainable peace process and strive towards a more inclusive environment where women and girls feel safer, stronger and better able to realise their rights and their influence in conflict prevention and resolution.

Responding to the MHPSS needs and strengthening MHPSS resources and capacities, starting at a community-level, is essential for building peace and women play a particularly important role in this respect. We will continue to do this by accompanying women and community leaders, community health workers and other key service providers, strengthening existing capacities to identify and respond to people with MHPSS problems in their communities. Our approach emphasises the importance of strengthening systems and re-activating community-based resources, establishing links of trust among and between community members and service providers, and ensuring that the people who do this important work also have the necessary tools to care for themselves.

We carry a public health approach to MHPSS and within the coming projects, we will further integrate MHPSS services within the health system. This will start with training of community health workers, and raising awareness on mental health disorders as part of health awareness campaigns.

Read the full report below